Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments, with four out of five people experiencing it at some point in their lives, according to the website for the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.
For immediate relief after a back injury, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers are usually the go-to.
Yet with many different medications lining drugstore shelves, people are often confused about the right options to choose.
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The three best options for acute lower back pain are NSAIDs, NSAIDs with paracetamol, and myorelaxants, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.
NSAIDs — which include aspirin (Bayer), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) — are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that alleviate pain, reduce inflammation and bring down fevers.
NSAIDs are available over the counter up to a certain strength.
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“NSAIDs are pretty much the second-strongest anti-inflammatory that we have, other than steroids,” Dr. Randa Jaafar, a pain management physician in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
(She was not involved in the study.)
Paracetamol is acetaminophen (Tylenol), which relieves pain and reduces fever.
Tylenol is available without a prescription in all strengths. This over-the-counter medication was not effective in alleviating lower back pain on its own, the study found. It worked better when paired with an NSAID.
H/T Fox News (read more at FoxNews.com)
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